Sins of Our Fathers
by rohitmitra5752
Summary: A new threat looms over Konohagakure. And as always, the village looks towards their veteran Hero of the Fourth Shinobi War, Rokudaime Hokage Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. But Naruto's resolve is shattered seeing the enemy. What is this new threat that even the powerful Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze is fearful of facing. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Prologue to Destruction

_Hi guys, this is my second FanFiction. Unlike my other story, The End of Dawn, this one will mostly deal with the canon universe. The events of the story are set after the events of Chapter 660 of the manga. The first chapter will deal with the events immediately after the chapter into the conclusion of the war. From the next chapter, I'll take a look at a major timeskip of 17 years. I hope you like this story as well. And as before, read and review._

_Anyways, here's wishing you all a very happy new year. Lets look forwards to more of some of the awesome FanFiction (hope mine are included in them) in 2014._

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"Normal speech"

"SHOUTING/YELLING"

'Thinking'

_Flashback begin and end_

"_**Jutsu**_"

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Cerulean eyes were glazing over as they stared distantly at the night sky. 'Kaasan, Tousan. I'm sorry. I couldn't see it to the end. I couldn't save Konoha. I couldn't save my friends.' Tears welled up in his eyes. His eyes moved to his side. He could see his pink haired teammate trying desperately to save him, tears in her eyes, pumping in Chakra into his body. By her side, was the blond Godaime Hokage Tsunade Senju, trying her best to help him recover.

"Sakura, Tsunade-baachan. I think this is it for me." he tried chuckling out.

Sakura screamed out, "No! Naruto don't you dare die out on me. Look out there everyone is fighting. They depend on you to provide strength and support. Without you, your friends will die. Do you want that to happen, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at her, and soon smiled, determination creeping into his face. "Alright Sakura. Heal me up as soon as you can. I've got some ass to kick." Tsunade smiled at seeing the determination return to her favorite blond knuckleheaded Ninja. She chuckled for the first time in the evening. She had one hell of an emotional roller-coaster ride. The Fourth Shinobi World War brought a new meaning to death, devastation and desolation. Although most of Konoha civilians had been evacuated, what was left of Konoha was nothing more than a smoking crater. This was the third time Konoha had been left in such a condition - Orochimaru's invasion to a lesser extent and Pein's attack on Konoha. Konoha would still survive. But the loss of the fine Shinobi in the attack was devastating. Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Chouza Akimichi and almost all of the Hyuuga clan. And all of this was caused by Madara Uchiha. Madara had been able to use Obito's Rinnegan to rip out the Bijuus from both Killer B and Naruto. Killer B had died right on the spot. But Naruto due to his naturally large Chakra reserves had managed to survive, although it had left him at death's door with a near-lethal Chakra exhaustion. Obito, under Zetsu's control was facing Kakashi Hatake, his old teammate and Minato Namikaze, while Madara faced off against Sasuke Uchiha, ex-traitor of Konoha, and the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju and Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Madara having absorbed the Shodai Hokage, Tobirama Senju, Madara was in the process of assimilation of the Bijuus.

Kakashi and Minato was in a fast-paced Taijutsu battle with Zetsu-Obito. After a few moments, both jumped back. Kakashi looked towards the Edo Tensei Minato, "Minato-Sensei. We have to save Obito. He has changed his allegiance; I saw it in his eyes. He has let go of his hate. We just need to pry that Zetsu off of him" Minato sighed, "That may be true, but this is a battle. And as of right now, Obito is the enemy." They were suddenly alerted to a presence jumping behind them. They turned slightly to see Naruto, now in Sage Mode, charging forward with a _**Fuuton: RasenShuriken**_ in his hand. Having lost his Bijuu, this was the best that Naruto could afford. Kakashi looked at Naruto, "Naruto, No. We can still save Obito. You don't have to kill him." To Naruto's saving grace, Minato replied, "Kakashi! Get a hold of yourself. This is a war. Obito may have had a change of heart, but he is under Zetsu's control. If we don't stop him, he'll kill many innocent ninjas. I know you believe that those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. But by not stopping Obito you are condemning your comrades to their death. You're in effect abandoning them." Kakashi looked down, crestfallen, before raising his lone forlorn eye towards Naruto. "Hai, I understand". Naruto gave a curt nod, before jumping up and chucking the _**Fuuton: RasenShuriken**_ at Obito. All this while, Zetus was struggling with Obito to get his Rinnegan and was finally able to do so. Just as Zetsu ripped out the Rinnegan from Obito's socket, he saw the RasenShuriken hurtling towards him. 'Well, Obito has outlived his purpose. Best to let him be obliterated by the jutsu.' thought Zetsu as he separated from Obito. He smirked seeing the jutsu inching towards Obito, the latter being unable to move out of the way of the destructive power of the RasenShuriken. Kakashi and Minato looked at the events that transpired with wide-eyed shock. 'Oh Kami! Zetsu separated from Obito. Obito has changed for good. Kami! Please save Obito!". Naruto simply smirked.

To Zetsu's astonishment, the RasenShuriken disappeared in a poof and was replaced by a Naruto _**Kage Bunshin**_. The clone chucked a Kunai at the Zetsu, who ducked the Kunai. But the Kunai was not meant to hit. Minato's eyes widened even further at the course of events. As soon as he saw the Kunai that 'Naruto' threw, he understood the plan as he began charging up a Rasengan in his hand. As the kunai passed Zetsu, Minato appeared behind Zetsu in a flash and hit him full force with the **_Rasengan_**. The clone had caught Obito and leaped back to where Kakashi and Naruto were standing. The clone poofed out of existence as Naruto weakly chuckled, "Heh! Kakashi-Sensei. I told you I'll never leave any of my friends behind. Believe it" Kakashi looked at Naruto with wide-eyed admiration. 'Naruto … you've far surpassed me or any other Ninja in all of the elemental nations. You truly are Minato-Sensei's son'. Naruto stood up straight as he controlled his panting. He took out a soldier pill from his jacket pocket and popped it into his mouth and crushed it. Sakura had just reached their location. "YOU BAKA! You had a soldier pill already. More than one is harmful for your health." Naruto grit his teeth, from the obvious pain that the pill was causing as Chakra flowed into his body, "It's alright. I'll manage." Obito held out a hand in front of Naruto, "Give me one as well". Sakura was shocked and angry, "You traitor. How dare you think that we can trust you with a soldier pill" Naruto sighed, "But Sakura, you gave a soldier pill to Sasuke as well." Sakura was caught off-guard, "Bu-But that's different. He's no longer a traitor. He changed." Kakashi smiled "So has he". She hung her head. Naruto took out another soldier pill and handed it to Obito.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had launched a tirade of Susanoo assaults on Madara, while Tobirama used the **_Hiraishin_** to engage in a high-speed Taijutsu battle with Madara. Hiruzen assisted using his adamantine staff, Enma. All this was causing the assimilation process to slow down, and the beasts were yet to be completely assimilated by Madara. Sasuke was panting heavily. As was Hiruzen. They were out of Chakra and energy. Madara barely looked winded. After all, he had the backing of all the 9 Bijuus. And once they would be assimilated completely, the total Chakra would be far greater than the sum total of the 9 Bijuus. Madara was cackling maniacally at them, while holding up Tobirama in his hands. "You pathetic bastards. I have defeated your Shodai Hokage. The God of Shinobi. And now I hold his power in my hands. Do you really think that I can be defeated by the lot of you? Pathetic" he spat with disdain. He looked at the unconscious form of Tobirama in his hand. He sneered and threw it towards Sasuke and Hiruzen. Hiruzen caught the Nidaime Hokage while Sasuke charged at him.

Sasuke's Susanoo flared into existence as the ethereal skeletal warrior swung his sword at Madara. Madara used his own version of Susanoo to parry Sasuke's Susanoo. This quickly descended into a blur of quick Kenjutsu moves between the Susanoo warriors. However, Sasuke didn't have the enormous Chakra reserves of Madara. Pretty soon, the Susanoo warrior faded out of existence as Sasuke fell down to the ground unceremoniously panting heavily. He picked himself up with shaky hands. As he levelled a hate filled glare towards Madara. Madara was laughing like a deranged maniac. When his laughter died down, he looked at Sasuke disappointedly, "So this is what my mighty clan has been reduced to. Pathetic! To think that Izuna and me had laid down our lives for the likes of you." He spat in disgust. Sasuke was more than angered, he was furious. With a loud yell, he charged at Madara with his Kusanagi sword drawn. Madara smirked as he dodged the swing and punched him hard in the gut. Sasuke went flying backwards, only to be stopped mid-flight by a strong pair of arms.

Sasuke turned his hair to see the all too familiar visage of his former Sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Sasuke slowly got down as he turned to look around the battlefield. Corpses of Shinobi littered the battlefields. Even now the medics were healing the wounded as best as they could. He saw Tsunade, some distance away, healing the wounds of the other 4 kages. His 'sensei' Orochimaru was standing in the distance, not interested in joining the fray of the battle. 'Bastard' he thought. He turned his head to look for his former teammates. He saw Sakura, trying to heal … Neji? 'Huh! I thought Neji was dead. Maybe I was wrong. In any case, I need to focus on this battle up ahead.' he thought. He turned his head to other side and smiled. Standing beside him was his rival, his friend, his family, Naruto. Naruto glanced at Sasuke, and smirked, seeing him smile. "Hey Teme! We'll finish this for good. Believe it.", Naruto turned towards Minato and proceeded, "Hey Dad, I have a plan." Minato nodded. Naruto looked around, "Sasuke, Obito, Kakashi-Sensei, Jii-san keep Madara busy. Dad, I need you and …" he trailed off looking at the prone unconscious body of Tobirama, "... well it seems just you. Anyways, guard me while I meditate. I need to gather some Senjutsu Chakra". He leaned into his father and whispered something; Minato's eyes widened slightly as he nodded. He created a shadow clone which jumped out of the battlefield.

Sasuke was using Susanoo and Amaterasu to the fullest to combat Madara. Obito and Kakashi were engaged in a high-speed Taijutsu-Ninjutsu battle with him, while Hiruzen was using his Adamantine Staff to try and land a hit on Madara. In spite of that, Madara had quite well matched all of the 4 warriors at the same time. While in the midst of the battle Kakashi's eyes widened. Almost immediately he stopped his Taijutsu attacks and leapt back raining a volley of Kunai and Shuriken on Madara. Sasuke looked at Kakashi, trying to contemplate his sudden change of tactics. 'What the hell just happened? It looks like Kakashi just realized something, or he just formulated a plan that can make us win against Madara. But how is Kunai and Shuriken going to help?' As if on cue, he heard a yell from behind, "**_Fuuton:Rasenshuriken_**" as he saw Naruto charge towards Madara with a Rasenshuriken in his hand. Behind him, Minato was standing alongside with Ino. Madara brought up a wall of wood to his front to block the attack. Naruto smirked at this. All Sasuke saw next was Minato appearing next to Naruto with a Yellow Flash and both of them disappearing from their sights. Sasuke jerked his head towards Madara to see a RasenShuriken hurtling towards him from behind, where Naruto was standing with Minato. Sasuke's eyes widened, 'Ingenious! So this was the plan. Naruto had Ino use her familial jutsu to convey his plan to Kakashi. The Kunai Kakashi threw towards Madara were Hiraishin Kunai. The objective was never to hit him. And Naruto knew that Madara would try to block the Rasenshuriken attack if he charged head-on. He was counting on the fact that he would raise and focus his defense on the front. And that's when Naruto's dad Hiraishin-ed Naruto to behind Madara. I must say Naruto, you're unpredictable as always.', he thought as he saw the Rasenshuriken bury itself into Madara's exposed back as Madara screamed out in pain. Naruto was standing, panting, his sage mode deactivated, his hands on his knees. The Nine Bijuus had not been assimilated completely, and as a result the process destabilized, almost releasing the Bijuus back. Obito took this opportunity to jump into the fray and he brought up his hands in a seal. Kakashi and Minato's eyes widened on seeing the hand seal. "No Obito. Don't do this!" shouted Kakashi.

Obito simply smiled, "_**Shiki Fujin**_". Obito grimaced and fell to his knees panting. He looked up at the Bijuus with a fierce determination in his eyes, and the Bijuus along with their Chakra seemed to be siphoning off into Obito's body. Minato and Kakashi looked forlorn and Obito looked like he was in unimaginable pain. The look on his face told of a pain worse than the Tsukuyomi. With what seemed insurmountable force of will, Obito yelled out "SEAL". With a flash, the Bijuus along with their Chakra disappeared and Obito fell to the ground, dead. Madara had gotten up, looking at Obito and cursing him. Kakashi had rushed to the side of his onetime friend and comrade, weeping over his lifeless body. Sasuke took the opportunity as he rushed towards Madara, "You're Mine, Madara!".

Madara noticed the young Uchiha charging towards him, and cursing his luck, used Kamui to escape. Kakashi noticed this and was about to activate Kamui, when he felt to hands on his shoulders. He raised his head to see Naruto and Minato, Father and Son, Sensei and Student. Minato shook his head, "The war is over. If you try pursuing Madara now, there'll be no one to back you up." Kakashi glared at Minato, "He is the reason why Obito is dead; why so many people have died today!". "Kakashi, Obito gave his life to protect you and his other precious people" "Kakashi-Sensei, don't sully Obito's sacrifice by throwing your life away. He would've wanted you to stay and protect the people of Konoha." Kakashi hung his head in shame. He had let the anger get the better of him. He was about to forsake his life to avenge Obito; a life that was Obito's gift to him. He mumbled out an apology, "I'm … I'm sorry, Sensei. Naruto, I'm sorry" Sasuke strolled over to the father-son duo, "So Dobe! We've won" he sneered. Naruto smirked back, "Believe it, teme". In a rare moment of showing his affection, Sasuke pulled Naruto into a hug, "Thank you Naruto. Thank you for believing in me, for not giving up on me". Naruto smiled slightly, "Anytime Sasuke, … my brother". By this time others had started gathering as well. The war had been won. And it was all due to the efforts of the Hero of the Elemental Nations, Naruto Uzumaki.

The boy who had been scorned at childbirth, whom everyone had hated through and through. He had exceeded expectations, he fought his way to become the greatest Ninja of the Leaf Village. Everyone was ecstatic on seeing him. They wanted to hug him, cheer him, touch him, kiss him. They wanted to show their gratitude, their appreciation, their acceptance to him. Naruto had tears in his eyes. His dream was to be Hokage, so everyone in the leaf village would acknowledge him. But today as he stood at the remnants of the battlefield, he was acknowledged as the strongest ninja and a hero by every single Ninja in the world. For him, he had already achieved his dream. The plethora of Shinobi who had gathered to congratulate Naruto was pushed aside as Tsunade made her way towards Naruto. "Naruto. Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Naruto chuckled at Tsunade's worries. Soon a heavy fist hit him on the head pummeling him to the ground, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? SAKURA TOLD ME YOU ATE 2 SOLDIER PILLS. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Tsunade started yelling as the Blond Hero tried to pick himself up. As soon as that was done, Tsunade encased him in a bear hug, "Don't give your Baa-chan such a shock, get it Gaki" Everyone started laughing at the scene in front of them. A teary eyed Tsunade looked at Naruto proudly and said, "So finally, you've got the acknowledgement of the entire Shinobi alliance. I'm proud of you my Otouto." Naruto stumbled back as he saw a blur of pink launch itself towards him. He cushioned the blow by pushing some Chakra into his chest, but that didn't work out too well. The thing crashed into his chest and almost blew the wind out of him. He looked towards his chest to see a squealing Sakura hugging his chest. "Naruto, we won. We won. We won." she kept repeating enthusiastically. Naruto laughed out loudly, and hugged her back, twirling her in the air, "Yes Sakura-chan, WE WON!" His laughter was joined by almost every other Ninja.

Some distance away, an Indigo-haired Shinobi looked at the scene with her pale lavender pupilless eyes. Tears threatened to pour out, but she bit her lips to prevent that from happening. Hinata was happy for Naruto, but something deep down inside of her was hurting badly. 'Naruto-kun! I'm so happy for you. I wish that I would've been the one you were laughing with, the one to be in your arms. I love you so much, that it hurts. It hurts to see you happy with someone else. But that is me being selfish. I love you too much to steal that happiness from you Naruto-kun. I know you love Sakura, and will be happy with her. I wish you all the best for your life with her.' By this time, a torrent of tears poured down her smooth fair cheeks onto the ground. She turned her head to wipe away the tears. For Naruto, she'd be happy seeing her heart shatter.

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_Hope you guys liked this story. A lot of events are going to unfold next. And before you ask, yes, Madara is still at large and is one of the primary antagonists. Who are the others you say? Let's wait and read. :)_

_And as always, R&R._


	2. Cherry Blossom Girl

_A/N: Ossu. The next chapter to the story is out. The 17 year time-skip. Yeah, I know its pretty long and a lot of stuff happened in between, but what can I say; I'm a sucker for flashbacks. It keeps the suspense up and enables you to create a climactic point to an event that has already occurred. Also, it makes it challenging to write, because you have to keep the secret under wraps although pretty much every major character is aware of what has happened._

_Enough rants. Lets move on. Just a quick recap of events: The Kyuubi is extracted, Obito dies to seal off all the Kyuubi. Naruto survives as does Neji (I hated Kishi when he killed him off) and Madara escapes. So now all the 9 Bijuus are gone from the Shinobi world. Madara is still at large. And the scene ended with Naruto twirling Sakura with Hinata forlornly looking at them._

_So lets see what the chapter has in store for us._

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**Reviewer's Corner**

_Johnny Spectre: Hmmm... this shows promise._ **Hope this chapter and the story as a whole keeps up to your expectations.**

_NagariMitsukari12: I'm looking forward for the next chapter! Your story is so interesting!_ **((blushes)) I really hope you like this chapter.**

_Ayrmed: Very nice start. Looking forward to reading more though I have to say I hate it when Hinata gets hurt._ **Thanks, and even I hate it when Hinata gets hurt. She holds the spot of the sweetest anime girl in my list, topping over Orihime from Bleach. But lets just wait and watch. Things should get better for her.**

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_Timeskip (17_ years)

It was a bright sunny day. A slight breeze was picking up. All in all it was a pleasant day that shone upon the village of Konohagakure no Sato. 17 years had passed since the Fourth Great Shinobi World War had ended. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the Rokudaime Hokage was walking through the streets. Villagers looked at him as he passed by and bowed to him. For those who had survived the Fourth Great Shinobi War, he was the Hero of the war. A legend. Stories of how he had single-handedly defeated the enemy forces, while at the same time defending everyone precious to him. The stories made him look like a God amongst the Shinobi. And rightfully enough, the people started calling him Shinobi no Kami. And like the previous 3 holders of this title, Naruto was a well reputed figure in all of the elemental nations. The Genin who had brought peace to the Shinobi World. But right now, the 33 year old Rokudaime Hokage of the village was heading home. He was wearing his White Hokage Robe. It had an orange colored flame-pattern towards the end of the robe. His Hokage Hat was hanging on his back, while his blond spiky hair was left open to be ruffled by the wind. He had grown his hair and looked almost like Yondaime. He wore his Hitai-ate on his forehead, albeit tilted to the left to cover his left eye. A scar ran from under the covered eye across his cheek and disappeared into the folds of his robe. Underneath the robe he wore a standard Konoha Jounin uniform. His left hand unceremoniously ended at his elbow, and his Jounin uniform's sleeve had been stapled together to make it end at the stump of his left arm. A smile still graced his lips although the boisterous loud attitude of the Blond Prankster that everyone knew of, was long gone. The man who was the Hokage now, was a calm, composed and wise leader; one who had been tempered with the scars of battle and the grief of loss. As he kept walking he glanced towards his right, seeing the girl who was holding his right hand as they walked down the street.

The 13 year old girl had a fair complexion, green emerald eyes and soft pink hair. Her hair was tied by a headband over her head using a red ribbon. She was wearing a Red Qipao with circular designs and tight green shorts. On her back she had an academy backpack filled with books, scrolls, and poking out of the top was a Bento Box that her mother had made for her. Naruto smiled as he looked at her, 'My my! She looks just like her mother did when she was young. I can still remember Sakura in the very same dress when we went to the academy together.' The girl must have noticed Naruto looking at her and turned towards him and gave a warm smile. She turned her gaze and kept walking, her head held a bit low. Naruto picked up on this and looked at the villagers out of the corner of his eyes. He sighed in frustration. The villagers were looking at the girl with hate filled glares, although they very frugal in displaying them in front of the Hokage. It was the same glares Naruto used to get when he was a kid. He had to fight against monsters, defeat S-ranked to SS-ranked enemies and win a war for people to notice him, acknowledge him. Naruto saw one of the villagers cast a frigid stare at the girl, which Naruto responded by angrily glaring at him leaking out insane amounts of KI. The villager almost immediately lost control of his bladder as he emptied himself on the spot. The girl squeezed his hand to gain Naruto's attention. When Naruto turned his head towards the girl, she simply gave a curt smile and shook her head. Naruto took a deep sigh as he stopped his KI. By this time almost everyone was frozen to the spot by their beloved Hokage. Ignoring the glares and the villagers, the pair kept walking down the road. Naruto sadly looked at the girl. He had half a mind to send the villagers to the Torture and Interrogation division, but he knew it would only increase the girl's problems. 'She'll have to fight her way to recognition. She's stubborn and strong-willed and I trust her to eventually reach her goal. She'll be acknowledged by everyone in the village and beyond. Its almost like looking at my life. But this time, I'll make it better for her.' Naruto thought as new-found determination steeled his resolve. The girl noticed the terseness in Naruto and looked up to him with a worried look. "Tousan?"

Naruto broke out of his musings and looked at the girl with his lone Cerulean orb, "What is it, Kiyo-chan?"

The girl, Kiyo asked Naruto, "Ano. You looked quite tense. Is something the matter?"

Naruto sighed, "No No. Nothing you need to worry about. Your old Tousan is worried by paperwork. Wonder how your grandfather handled it?" he dejectedly grumbled. Although he lied about the reasons for his worries, the paperwork were actually, as his Jounin Commander and Chief Strategic Advisor would say, 'quite troublesome'.

Kiyo giggled, "Tousan, you're not that old you know" she giggled some more, before it died down and she somberly continued, "Its the way the villagers look at me, right?" She turned her head down forlornly looking at the road ahead. Naruto's eye widened in surprise, 'How did - I guess she is as smart as Sakura.' His eye glazed over as he replied, "Yes." He paused for moment before continuing, "I sometimes wish I could just throw them into prison or punish and humiliate them publicly for the way they treat you." Kiyo shook her head, "They're just afraid of me, that's all. Its not their fault." Naruto opened his mouth but he was cut off by Kiyo, "Besides, its not going to do me any good. By punishing them, their ire towards me will only increase." Naruto looked frustrated with her answer, before he sourly nodded his head, "Yeah, it probably will. But that doesn't give them any right to treat you like that." Kiyo gave a small smile and rubbed her hand on her fathers'. Naruto looked at Kiyo and soon a small smile tugged at his lips.

They continued to walk in silence. Suddenly, Kiyo pulled to a stop. Naruto puzzled looked at her. She simply told, "Ano. Tousan, can I be excused for some time? There's something I need to do." Naruto looked at the direction she was looking at and understood. "Ok. I'll be waiting here." Kiyo shook her head, "No no. That won't be necessary. It'll take some time. I'll catch up with you later" Naruto sighed again, "Are you sure? Kiyo, it wouldn't be any trouble for me to stay here." Kiyo shook her head, "No, please go home Tousan. I need some time alone. Gomen." Naruto simply nodded as he watched Kiyo leave. After she left his protective gaze, Naruto snapped his fingers together. Immediately 2 ANBU agents jumped out. Without even looking at them, Naruto sternly ordered them, "Keep a watch over my daughter. And if any of the villagers try to do anything stupid, deal with them with extreme prejudice." The ANBU nodded, understanding Naruto's underlying meaning, 'Kill anyone who approaches my daughter with anything other than a basket of puppies'. Content that his daughter would be protected, he left towards his home.

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Neji was exhausted and completely devoid of energy. There were dark circles and bags under his pale pupiless eyes. Many would attribute his current state to the evils of being a clan head and that too of the Hyuuga United Family. But those who would do so, would be wrong. Neji like his predecessor, Hinata, very much liked to help the people of the clan. And he had been able to fulfill Hinata's lifelong dream of uniting the estranged family members of the Main and Branch Families. Although that action had nearly brought around a civil war, with the help of the Rokudaime Hokage, the Hyuuga massacre had been turned into the Hyuuga Resurrection. So all in all, Neji were among the very few that actually loved their work. But the reason for his current state was walking right beside him.. "Hanabi imouto-chan! At the very least please slow down". Walking beside him was Neji's younger cousin Hanabi. She was dressed in a loose fitting gown that flowed over her body and her bulging stomach. But her pupiless eyes were contorted in anger, grief, pain and whatever plagues a 3rd trimester pregnant lady. Neji gulped at the fury in her eyes as she locked her glare on Neji. "NEJI NII-SAN! ALL YOU EVER THINK ABOUT IS THE CLAN! FOR ONCE CAN'T YOU SPARE A THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR IMOUTO-CHAN" Tears filled her eyes, "You don't love me anymore" she started sobbing and almost immediately her demeanour grew fierce, "ONLY IF THAT BAKA OF A HUSBAND WERE HERE! I WOULD KILL HIM! THAT RUDE BAKA HAD TO LEAVE ME IN THIS STATE".

All this while, Neji looked at his little sister with shocked amazement and a bit of fear. 'Wow! Every time I see this, I feel amazed as to how their moods keep swinging. I swear I thought I was over that phase with Tenten-chan and I would be able to handle pregnant women. But looking at Imouto-chan, I guess I was wrong.' he thought shaking his head, 'Note to self: Mustn't get Tenten pregnant again … Or maybe I will at least try' he thought with a perverted grin. Looking back to before the war, if anyone caught Neji with any expression other than a scowl, it would be considered the start of apocalypse. But a near death experience, uniting the Hyuuga into a family that valued relations over public image and a loving and caring wife had done wonders to him. Not to mention the entire Icha-Icha collection, a birthday gift he had received from Naruto. And speaking of the blond cyclops, Neji was soon brought out his fearful thoughts by the Hokage waving at him and approaching him.

"Hey Neji! Hey Hanabi-chan!" Hanabi whipped around and glared daggers at the blonde Hokage. "YOU BAKA! I'LL KILL YOU! YOU SENT AWAY MY HUSBAND, MY KONO-KUN AWAY FROM ME WHEN I NEEDED HIM THE MOST". On any other day, the ANBU would pounce in to save their Hokage, but even they wouldn't dare test the rage of an estrogen-fueled moody Hyuuga ex-ANBU. And to top it, she was the Sarutobi Clan-Head. Nopes, the ANBU valued their life far too much to risk it for an idiotic Hokage who had the 'presence of mind' to face a pregnant wife whose husband he had sent away on a mission. Naruto almost cowered into a fetal position, "NANI?! They were the only ones who could handle the entire situation. And besides, your husband is the only ANBU captain that I could trust to lead this mission to success." he ended with a bit of seriousness in his voice. Hanabi looked down and frowned. Naruto loved her husband like his own younger brother. Konohamaru had grown up to be an ANBU captain, but he refused to call Naruto by his title of Hokage and settled for calling him "Boss" or "Naruto Nii-san". Not that Naruto minded. "Gomen Naruto Nii-san. Its just that I miss him already" she said with a bit of hurt and disappointment in her voice. He smiled, "It's ok to feel that way. Anyways, how are things with the clan?" he asked. Hanabi snorted, "Yeah with just 5 members and a 6th on the way. I'd hardly call it a clan." Naruto waved it off, "Ma Ma, you're well on your way to making it a clan again." He smiled pointing at her bulging belly. Hanabi smirked, "Yeah anyways! Kurenai-san has her hands full with Akairo-chan. She has grown into a real beauty like her mother. And her talent for Genjutsu is just unimaginable. And then there are rumours about her and Kasai." Naruto raised his eyebrow, "Kasai? As in Kasai Hatake?" Hanabi nodded as she continued, "Yup. Grapevine is that they are pretty close together. And that has gotten Kurenai worried. And Koyuki is just so happy that she is going to be an elder sister" Hanabi fondly said as she ran circles on her belly.

Naruto smiled as he turned to Neji, "And how are things with you Neji? Everything peachy in the clan?" Neji gave a curt bow, "Hai Hokage-sama! Me and Tenten-chan are doing just fine. And we are happy that Kashikoi-kun decided to take the Genin exams this year with his friends, brothers and sisters. As for the clan, things have never been better." Naruto looked at him with a pout, "Neji, how many times have I told you; I'll have none of that Hokage or sama crap from you. It just sounds so weird between friends." Hanabi giggled at this. Neji smirked and replied, "Well, you deserve it. More so from my clan than any others. You supported me when I became a clan head and helped rid the caged bird seal for good" By this time, Neji had absentmindedly moved his hand to his forehead and traced his fingers over his clear forehead, which once housed the dreaded seal. "Hokage-sama, you freed me from the curse and made sure that the same never happened to anyone else in the clan ever again. Thanks to you I was able to marry Tenten-chan without the fear of having my children branded with the accursed seal." Hanabi decided to interject, "Ano, actually that I think back to it, I was on the sidelines of it all. What did really happen at that time?"

Neji started "Well, if I remember correctly, it was just around the time I was made clan-head after Hinata-sama and you and the Genin squad made Chunnin." This got a raucous laughter from Hanabi, "Oh yeah! I still remember my Genin team. And even so more my Sensei" Neji and Naruto smirked, as the former continued, "Anyways, Hokage-sama approached me with the idea of making things better for the clan. It was all his plan. According to it, I officially approached Naruto and stated that as a Clan-Head my life was in danger from my own clan members and I needed his protection. And since the murder of a clan head would put the entire clan into turmoil eventually resulting in a civil war, it was the Hokage's duty to protect and prevent such a calamity. On top of that, as a Clan Head, I authorized Hokage-sama to interfere in the clan matters. And the very next thing he did was to assign my own ANBU bodyguard detail. This way, the elders could neither prevent the Hokage from acting upon the clan, while neither could they even harm me, since I was under the Hokage's protection. After I got my bodyguard detail, the first law I passed was to abolish the creation , activation and use of the Seal. This was supported by the Hokage. And finally when Hokage-sama provided us with the Seal remover, everyone was overjoyed. As anticipated by Hokage-sama, the elders tried attacking the branch members and even me. And they were swiftly disposed off. In fact, we concealed a couple of assassinations on the elders who didn't participate under the pretext of preventing the civil war." Hanabi raised an eyebrow at this, "With all the elders who opposed me out of the way, I re-united the Hyuuga family members into the Hyuuga United Family." Hanabi thought back, "Ano. If I remember correctly, I was out on a mission with Kono-kun. It was during that mission that he finally got the courage to ask me out. And when I came back, I was fearful that you or the elders wouldn't approve of my relation. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I got the shock of my life when I heard that the branch and main families were united. More so, the new council and even you approved my relationship. I still remember that day you had called all the members of the Hyuuga clan and said, 'From today, the Hyuuga clan will be a symbol of family values and not of vain pride and pompous honor. Clan-Heir would be decided only on eligibility and not on your birthright. And I would encourage the Hyuugas to be a bit more jovial and gregarious. Mixing with people outside the clan would serve to show that we value people more than pride.' And basically, you turned the Hyuuga from being one of the most stuck-up bastards to one of the most kindhearted clans in the village. The Hyuuga resurrection." she ended beaming with pride looking at Neji. Neji simply shook his head and said, "That wouldn't have been possible without the help of Hokage-sama. ANd that is why you have earned the Hokage as well as the sama."

Naruto smiled warmly at his long time friend. "You sure have come a long way since I kicked your ass during the Chuunin exam." He folder his arms and pouted, "But still, no sama. I will make it a rule to have you refer to me as anything but Naruto as 'derogatory to the chair of the Hokage'" he said the last part in the most monotonous voice he could muster, earning a chuckle from Neji and Hanabi. Neji relented, "Fine … Naruto" They all shared a smile for a moment, before Naruto decided to blow it all to hell with one simple question.

"Ano. But what ARE you two doing out here?" Neji sighed and replied, "Well, Konohamaru is out on a mission. And Kurenai-san is still working at Ino's flower shop. So Hanabi decided to pester me to take her out for some Ice-Cream." Neji failed to notice Hanabi's eye twitch at the word 'pester'. She cracked her knuckles and Neji seeing this decided to turn her anger towards someone else, "But its Naruto's fault. He is the one who owns Ichiraku Ramen." Naruto was a bit confused but decided to add his 2 ryos. "Ano. I co-own Ichiraku Ramen with the Inuzuka's, but what has that got to do with anything." He had barely finished when Hanabi exploded out again, "YOU OPENED A RAMEN SHOP IN THE FREE SPACE NEAR THE SARUTOBI COMPOUND. IF YOU HADN'T OPENED IT, THEN THERE WOULD BE AN ICE-CREAM PARLOUR THERE" Naruto paled as she ranted on 'Crap, I gotta think of something quick, or Hanabi is going to kill me'. "Ano, Hanabi Imouto-chan, I know a great Ice-Cream parlour just around the corner. How about I treat you to an all-you-can-eat?" Hanabi immediately stopped ranting and brightened up, "That's so sweet of you Nii-san" she cooed. Both Naruto and Neji sweatdropped as she pulled both of them towards the Ice Cream parlour.

An hour later, a dejected and depressed Naruto is seen walking back to his house. He looks at the Gama-chan wallet that had butterflies flying out of it. Apparently, Naruto had forgotten how much a pregnant lady can eat, specially when she has cravings. He sighs as he puts away his wallet and looks at his house. Now positively beaming, he reaches to open the door to his house with a wide grin plastered to his face. As he opens the door, he calls out with all his love, "HONEY! I'M HOME"

* * *

Kiyo shivered a little at the cold breeze. It was a sunny enough day, but standing in the current place sent a slight chill down her spine. She looked up as her glance fell upon the numerous tombstones that littered this place. She was currently standing in the Konoha graveyard. SHe took a deep breath and steadied her nerves as she walked forward. She stopped in front of a particular tombstones and slowly, very slowly sat down in front of it. Tears welled up in her eyes, and soon enough, they started falling from her emerald eyes. She sobbed for a bit more, before she controlled her breathing. "Gomen! I know you don't like to see me cry." She gave a small chuckle, "So I guess I'll tell you about my day at school. Well, frankly it was just boring. Ryu was no better off. He and I pranked Udon Sensei into using a chalk which just blew up in an orange paint on his face. He was not happy. Anyways, he caught both of us and sent us to the principal's office. After a long lecture from Iruka Sensei, Ryu ran off with Shuryo to work on some new prank at the Inuzuka compound. I'm pretty sure that I'll get roped into the prank as well" she chuckled and scratched the back of her head."You know, I can't resist those pranks. Well, while they left, Tou-san came and picked me up; and here I am" her smile gradually withering. She started sobbing again, "I miss you. I miss you so much Kaa-san." Kiyo rested her large forehead on the tombstone, her pink hair falling in front of her eyes as she ran her fingers along the writing on the tombstone.

Here lies a loving daughter, a warm friend, a close sister, a caring mother and the perfect wife.

**Sakura Uchiha**

* * *

_A/N: Oh Kami! Sakura is dead. And ... wait, she's an Uchiha? And her daughter is Naruto's daughter? And who is Naruto calling HONEY?_

_Yup, a lot has happened over the 17 years and I intend to reveal them slowly. But there a very key points that I'd wanted to reveal in this chapter. Naruto's arm ... or well the lack of it. As well as his eye. The dude is seriously maimed. And I have given a couple of the 'side-characters' some screen time, though they deserve better in the canon mange/anime. So Hanabi married Konohamaru, was installed as the Sarutobi clan-head and they already have a daughter Koyuki. This is their second child. Neji married Tenten and succeeded in becoming the Hyuuga head after ... Hinata. Wait? What happened to her? ((grin)) You'll see in the coming chapters as to what happened to the others and what happened in the past 17 years._

_And as I had mentioned in my other story, __**The End of Dawn**__ (its a good read, trust me; check it out), I'll not be writing for some time, maybe 2-3 weeks. I'll be down with a severe case of Work-at-the-office disease. Once I am done and bit free I'll start back. But don't worry, I'm definitely not abandoning you or my story._

_Now for the cost of reading this chapter. Read and review or I'll cast a Tsukuyomi of Gai and Lee's Genjutsu on you. No seriously, boost the favorite/follow/review count. It works as an awesome anti-depressant._


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